Extensible draft tongue for trailers and the like



April 1, 1952 sT s 2,591,312

EXTENSIBLE DRAFT TONGUE FOR TRAILERS AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 6, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Joseph H. .SIees INVENTOR.

J. H. STEES EXTENSIBLE DRAFT TONGUE FOR TRAILERS AND THE LIKE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed NOV. 6, 1950 INVENTOR.

BY W-m,

Joseph l-LS/ees Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EXTENSIBLE DRAFT TONGUE FOR TRAILERS AND THE LIKE Joseph H. Stees, Freeport, Ill. 7

ApplicationNovember 6, 1950, Serial No. 19 2,32? 3 Claims. (01. 287-58) My invention relates to improvements in extensible draft tongues for coupling trailer vehicles to draft vehicles, and especially farm wag by backing the tractor relative to the farm wagon. I

Another object is to provide telescopic extensible draft tongue adapted to be extended and contracted by relative forward and reverse movement, respectively, of a loading draft vehicle and a farm wagon alongside each other, whereby to facilitate loading of a farm wagon from one end claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating my improved draft tongue coupling a tractor to a farm wagon and with the tongue contracted to a predetermined length and locked in contracted position for draft purposes;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in plan, drawn to a smaller scale, and illustrating my improved tongue coupling a farm wagon to a combine harvester alongside the same, the tongue being contracted to position the farm wagon for loading at its rear end from the combine harvester;

Figure 3 is a similar view illustrating the tongue extended for loading of the wagon at its front end from the combine harvester;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in plan drawn to a larger scale and illustrating the means for coupling the rear end of the tongue to the hounds of the farm wagon;

Figure 5 is a view in vertical longitudinal section, partly broken away, of the tongue extended and unlocked, and drawn to a further enlarged scale;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in plan of the rear end of the tongue drawn to a still larger scale;

Figure 7 is a view in transverse section taken on the line l--! of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a similar view taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 5 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 9 is a similar view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 5; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section taken on the line Ill-l0 of Figure 9 and drawn to a larger scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention, as illustrated, a draft tongue, designated as a unit by the numeral I, is provided comprising a rear hollow cylindrical section 2 having a closed rear end 3, and a front hollow cylindrical section 4 having a closed front end 5 and a closure disk 6 suitably fixed, as bywelding, not shown, in its rear end. The front section 4 slidably fits in the rear section 2 and extends out of the front end thereof so that said sections are telescopically arranged to extend and contract the length of said tongue. The sections 2 and 4 are preferably formed of steel. As will be clear, said sections 2 and 4 are relatively rotatable.

A wagon attaching member extends rearwardly of the rear end portion of the rear section 2 for connecting the tongue I between the hounds S of a farm wagon 1, said member having the form of a bifurcated channel beam 8 straddling said section 2 and welded to the sides thereof, as at 9. Side openings, as at H], in the beam 8 provide for extending the usual pivot bolt II in the hounds 1 through said beam. 8 at selected points along the beam, as may be required by the length of the hounds and location of said bolt, and whereby said tongue is pivoted to said hounds 6 for vertical swinging thereon.

A pair of upper and lower coupling plates II are suitably fixed to the front end portion of the front section 4 to extend forwardly therefrom with coaxial bolt holes l3 therein and for attaching by a coupling pin M in straddling relation to the usual rear draft bar 15 of a tractor 16, or to a draft lug H on a side structure l8 of a combine harvester 19, or other loading vehicle, provided with a side discharge chute 2D. I

Extension of the tongue I into its fully extended position of maximum length is limited by a stop rod 2| in the rear and front sections 2, 4, said rod extending through the rear end 3 of section 2 and slidably extending through the closure disk 6 of the front section 4. A nut 22 on the rear end of the stop rod 2|,back of said rear end 3, and extending into a slot 23 in' the channel beam 8 prevents end play of said rod. A coil sprin 24 in front of the closure disk 6 between the same and a front end head 25 on said rod 2| cushions extension of the front section 4 and yieldingly limits extension thereof when the tongue 1 is fully extended to its maximum length.

A pin 26 for insertion in vertically aligned openings 21 in the'front section 4, when the tongue I is extended substantially fully, is adapted to engage the front end of the rear section 2 and thus lock the front section 4 against retraction and the rear section 2 against overriding the front section 4 forwardly.

Means are provided for locking the rear and front sections 2, 4 against telescopic movement in selected, partly extended positions of the tongue vI and comprisin the following: A split collar 28 is clamped around the rear section 2 by depending cars 29 on said collar and a bolt traversing said ears, said collar being slidably settable around said section 2 to correspondingly set a crescent shaped eccentric flange 3| straddling said collar circumferentially on top thereof and welded thereto, as at 82'. A vertically XOCl-iilbli, hooked locking dog 32 on top of the front section 4 is pivoted, as at 33, for vertical rocking movement between upstanding top ears 35' on a :resilient split collarlii which, like the collar 28, is clamped to the front section l by depending ears 3% on the collar and a bolt 31 traversing the cars 35. A collar spreading bolt 38 extends through one ear 3% of said collar 35 and through a nut 35 welded onto said ear for turning of said bolt-against the other ear to spread said collar so that it may be easily set a'long said section -4 to correspondingly set the locking dog 32 for purpose presently seen. tween a tail lug 4! on the locking dog 32 and lug 42 on said collar 35, tensions said dog to snap over the flange 3! into locking engagement with said flan e.

The operation and use of the described tongue Will-now be setforth. By setting the collar 35 se lectivel-y along the front section 3 and contracting the tongue l, the locking dog 32 be caused to snap over the flange 3! to loci; said A coil spring iii betongue in a selected extended position. To couple the wagon l to the tractor it, the front section 4% is rotated in the rear section 2 to rotate the locking dog relative to the flange so that the locking dog 32 is positioned below said and slides off the same. Thus, the sections 2 and are unlocked. With the tractor it backed with in reach by the tongue i, the front section 4 is extended until the coupling plate 22 may be at i'ached to the draft bar Hi. .At this point. the

front section A is rotated to bring the locking dog forwardly independently until the locking dog 32 snaps over the flange l and locks the sections 2, .5. together. In loading the wagon l at the ,side of the combine harvester 19, the tongue I .is contracted and attached to the draft lug if until the chute 26 discharges into the rear end of the wagon, it being understood that the sections 2 and l are locked, in the manner above .described, in properly contracted position. When the rear end of the wagon 7 is loaded, the locking-dog 32 is manually released from the flange 3i and the tongue I fully extended by driving the combine harvester l9 forwardly of the wagon l so that the chute 29 will discharge into the front 7 end of the wagon 7. With the tongue I thus fully extended, the pin 26 is inserted in the openings 2] to lock the tongue against retraction in a manner which willbe clear and prevent the wagon from running forwardly of the combine harvester 19 out of front end loading position.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

lMani'festly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification, without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A draft tongue for a vehicle comprising a rear tubular section, a front section slidable endwise in said rear section for extension and retraction relative thereto to vary the length of the tongue and being rotatable in said rear section.

"and means to lock said front section to the rear pressed dog on the other section for hooking over said flange.

2. A draft tongue for a vehicle comprising a' rear tubular section, a front section slidable endwise in said rear section for extensionandretraction relative thereto to vary the length of the tongue and being rotatable in said rear section, and means to lock said front section to the rear section against extension comprising devices on said sections, respectively, co-engaging with a snap action upon retraction of said front section from an extended position, one of said devices being rotatable relative to the other by rotation wardly of said rear section comprising a stop rod' in said rear section slidably extending into the front section through the rear end of said front section, means on said rod abutting the rear end of the rear section to prevent forward movement of said rod relative to said sections, a head on said. rod in said front section, and a coil spring on said rod between said head and the rear end of said frontsection for compression in the limit of extension of said front section, said front section being provided with aligned apertures therein, and a pin for insertion through said apertures to engage the front end of the rear section and prevent retraction of the front section by said spring in the limit of extension of said front section.

' JOSEPH H. STEES.

appearances siren The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Hallner Mar. 18 1947 

